Now, ha ha, you (the forum readers, gosh, the inescapable few) know how I am when it comes to creativity, and if you don't I can explain; sometimes it does feel like a lightning bolt or a tangent, you don't know where it came from but now it's in your mind, so.. what to do with it? Conversely, when actually attempting to 'brainstorm' you may find that the sky simply will not rain on your command.

Whether or not this is typical of the 'creative' mind is debatable, as some are more 'gifted' and some walk the desert looking for water.

Anyway, RW4 might end up actually taking a hard turn onto the dirt road and revisit Max and Cammy for a while since I've become greatly disinterested in the current characters and 'plot' and we can assume they're doing fine while we find out how the other characters are doing. I was thinking of an almost RW3-type setting in which they become stranded and without supplies and end up engaging in conversation as they march towards an uncertain fate. Little things come up between them, things they haven't talked about before, the things these close friends never told each other despite being practically joined at the hip.

I don't know why that would sound like an interesting plot, it would probably be a lot easier to vomit all over a page and produce shocking and grotesque content not suitable for anyone, but then I'd have to sign my name on it and despite being a pseudonym I feel somehow that I am above just purging for attention. I guess you have to really do this for a decade or so with fleeting fame and make a final decision to go with your gut when you lose sight of the road ahead.

There is no such thing as mental illness, only problems in living! (whatever that might mean)

Regardless of what relationships researchers find between creativity and mental disorders, on the whole I would guess that mental problems only hinder creativity, especially in severe cases. This might be my subjective opinion, but creativity is something that you own and direct, not something that owns and directs you. Which you could say is the case with mental disorders, since then you're suffering from troubles with mood, concentration, memory, movement, thought etc. against your will. Someone might make a beautiful altar with all sorts of trinckets on it for the sake of artistic expression. Not the same as when you believe you must make an altar to rid yourself of demons. In that respect, I don't know where to put the art of religion, because beliefs are usually not considered psychotic if they're part of a cultural heritage..

Consumption and production of art has been a way for me to both express/process unpleasant feelings and also escape from them. My bias for visual information has some roots in surviving in a dysfunctional environment, I think. When I seriously started processing the facts about my life, I felt repelled from movies, novels etc for a while. I guess things are better now. There's little sympathy I have for (famous) artists who perhaps create great works, but also neglect dealing with their issues and end up self-destructing (in so far as they actually could do something about their problems, which is often very well possible with mental issues). At any rate you shouldn't passively put your creative drive or mental health in the hands of others, that's your own work and responsibility.

it's been some time since I posted this thread but I think the inevitable has come; I am most likely ending RW4 and not pursuing the next story tangent any further. Hey, it was another good run, about 100+ extra comics in the archive, but the old formula isn't a suitable vehicle anymore.

I wouldn't say I have any issues that are extremely problematic, but perhaps part of the problem is that I tend to not address any issues that arise, or simply neglect them and consider them an inescapable reality; being independant but lonesome introduces a set of social barriers that I simply don't bother with or take steps to resolve - it is generally easier to fall into a sedentary online lifestyle which revolves around work, sleep, and bumming around on the internet, and while partaking in these mundane activities it feels that my creative drive is neglected, or ignored. I've really got nothing to say and I'm bored with the idea of being the brain behind multiple characters who have their own personas and disorders. If I were forced to produce material on a regular basis you might be subjected to a personal diary comic about some dude who comes home at night and writes shitty comics about shit he saw on the internet. Likely made with MS Paint since there's no real drive to embellish the story with crisp artwork.

Eight wrote:it's been some time since I posted this thread but I think the inevitable has come; I am most likely ending RW4 and not pursuing the next story tangent any further. Hey, it was another good run, about 100+ extra comics in the archive, but the old formula isn't a suitable vehicle anymore.

Aw. But yeah, another 100+ strips really isn't bad.

Any new concept or format you're thinking about?

If I were forced to produce material on a regular basis you might be subjected to a personal diary comic about some dude who comes home at night and writes shitty comics about shit he saw on the internet. Likely made with MS Paint since there's no real drive to embellish the story with crisp artwork.